Corporate E-Learning

Each and every one of us serves customers, whether we realize it or not. Maybe you’re on the frontlines of a company, serving the people who buy your products. Perhaps you’re an accountant, serving the employees by producing their pay checks and keeping the company running. Or maybe you’re a company owner, serving your staff and your customers. This workshop will look at all types of customers and how we can serve them better and improve ourselves in the process.

Before we get started, we need to think about what is a customer? What customer service is all about? We also need to think about whom in our organization provides customer service. The simple answer to that question is: everyone.

Customer service means different things to different people. To some it means going beyond what’s expected of you. To others it means adding value and integrity to every interaction. To others it means taking care of customers the way you would take care of your grandmother. We might all define customer service a little differently, but we can all agree on one thing: to provide great customer service, you need to put energy and enthusiasm into your interactions with customers. Great customer service begins with a great attitude.

The first step in improving customer service is to determine what customer's value in their interactions with your organization. What do they want? What do they need? The most obvious way to find out what customers want and need is to ask them. Businesses spend lots of time and money surveying customers, and they often come up with valuable feedback. But the people on the front lines of customer service, people who interact with customers on a daily basis, can gain useful insights into what customer's value just by listening to them and observing them. The next step, once you have identified customer needs, is to commit yourself to meeting them. But you can’t stop there. To provide exceptional service, you need to go the extra mile to show customers how important they are to your organization.

People who have been in business for a while know the value of return business. Experts believe that it costs at least five times more to attract new customers than it does to keep existing ones. If you think about the cost of advertising and salespeople, you can see why winning a new customer is so much more expensive. Your customers are like everyone else. They want to feel appreciated. If they feel that you have forgotten about them as soon as a transaction is complete, they may take their business elsewhere. On the other hand, if you show a genuine interest in keeping in touch with them and meeting their needs, they will keep coming back. We all like to do business with companies we know and trust. You should strive to be that kind of company.

In-person interactions provide a great opportunity to build rapport with customers. When you talk to a customer on the phone or you exchange emails with a customer, it can be difficult sometimes to get a sense of what the other person is thinking and feeling. But when you talk to a customer in person, you get constant feedback, both verbal and nonverbal. It’s easy to tell if you are creating the right impression. Although in-person interactions can be difficult at times, they offer exceptional insight into what customers want and need.

When you are talking to someone in person, body language makes up a large part (some would say more than half) of your message. But as soon as you pick up the phone, body language becomes irrelevant. The success of your interactions depends almost entirely on your tone of voice and your choice of words. Getting these things right isn’t easy, but with a little practice anyone can learn how to provide excellent customer service over the phone.

A growing number of customer interactions are taking place online. Younger people in particular prefer to do too much of their business online rather than in person. But online interactions have limitations. To provide excellent customer service online, you need to understand what works and what doesn’t work, and how to make the most of the tools that are available to you.

One of the hardest challenges customer service staff face is dealing with difficult customers. Sometimes customers have a legitimate reason to be upset and sometimes they don’t. In either case, customer service staff needs to be prepared for dealing with difficult customers and finding ways to win them back.

Providing great customer service does not mean that you have to put up with threats, intimidation, or vulgar language from customers. If customers are out of control, you need to take over the situation and protect yourself.

Meeting the basic needs of customers is only the first step in providing great customer service. If you want to make a lasting impression on customers, you need to go the extra mile. Giving customers more than they expect will not only keep them coming back, but it will also inspire to tell their friends about the great service they received.

Although this workshop is coming to a close, we hope that your journey to improve your supervisory skills is just beginning. Please take a moment to review and update your action plan. This will be a key tool to guide your progress in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!